DESIGN/INTERIORS.

Show Room

An Urban Loft Provides A Strong Environment For Art

May 10, 1998|By Kathy Kaplan. Kathy Kaplan is a free-lance writer.

You never know what lies behind closed doors. That's one of the great mysteries of city living, says Carl Hammer, owner of a gallery in River North. He should know. Hammer's is the only residence in an unassuming, commercial building on the city's Near West Side.

Retail and office space occupy the first two floors of this converted 19th Century warehouse. Nothing about the modest red brick structure suggests the presence of Hammer's dramatic loft or his remarkable collection of folk, outsider and contemporary art.

Hammer first saw the space as renovation was near completion. The 1,700-square-foot loft seemed ideal for a home that was to be all about art. Its openness provided freedom to "isolate areas to show art," such as the display of glass by Dale Chihuly in the middle of the room. Ceilings sloping from 11 feet to 15 feet and uninterrupted expanses of wall allowed pieces as large as a 9-by-12-foot sideshow banner to hang comfortably and not overwhelm.

An exposed brick wall offered an effective backdrop for much of Hammer's sculpture. Several offbeat pieces, including two life-size carved wooden likenesses of workingmen, three masks by Mr. Imagination and a green twig table, "pop out against the highly textured surface," says Hammer.

Across the room, a wall painted light gray holds a collection of Lee Godie prints, photographs and paintings by Eugene Von Bruenchenhein and an oil painting of unknown origin.

With art as the focal point, furnishings are minimal. Understated black leather seating surrounds a glass-top table with an angular steel base. By floating the arrangement on a dark gray runner, Hammer gave definition to his living room.

Close proximity to his gallery enables Hammer to bring clients into his home to view art in a more relaxed setting.

"A gallery is terribly formal with only lights, a simple bench and nothing else except the artwork on the walls--it can be somewhat stark and surreal," he says.

Recognizing that the folk and outsider artists he represents are "a rather odd group that is sometimes difficult to understand," he finds "it helps people see the work as art that mixes well in a contemporary residence."